Gathering Apron Tutorial

Posted in Tutorials by sewontheedge

Spring is here…well at least the calendar says it is…mother nature has not made her mind up yet. With springs comes plans for my garden this summer. I can’t wait to start working the soil, planting my seeds in pretty rows, then harvesting all the yummy summer vegetables.

Last summer while looking for garden aprons, I found a picture of an apron on Pinterest that had a pouch for harvesting fruit/vegetables from the garden. What a great idea! I thought I can make that and I love how it turned out, so I thought it would share it with you.

What you will need:

1 3/4 yard of fabric (I used cotton, but any medium/heavy weight fabric would work) or if you are using 2 coordinating fabrics 1 1/3 yards of main fabric and 1/3 yard of contrasting fabric.

1/8 yard Pellon 808 Interfacing or any medium fusible interfacing, plus 2 small squares of interfacing for grommets

3 yards Twill Tape/ ribbon /cording

Scissors/Rotary Cutter

Ruler

Pins

2 sets of grommets or if you don’t have grommets handy you can make button holes

Gathering Apron Pattern- make sure your printer is set as poster/tiles to ensure you get the proper size.

Cut 2 of the main pattern on the fold, mark for grommets on one of the main pieces.

Cut 2 – 36″x 6″ or 44″x 6″ strips for your apron strings depending how long you want them.

Cut 2 – Interfacing 40″ x 2.5″

Using your front main piece, reinforce the grommet marking with interfacing. Follow directions on package for installing grommets. If you don’t want to use grommets you could add a buttonhole.

With right sides together of main pieces, pin around sides and bottom. Leaving the top open.

Sew 3/8″ seam around sides and bottom.

Clip curves, before turning right side out.

Turn right side out and press.

Top stitch around the edge with a 1″ seam, making sure you have enough of a seam to miss the grommet.

Cut 2 – 18″ Twill Tape/Ribbon, you can use a fray check on the ends if you would like.

Use a safety pin to string the Twill Tape into the casing you made towards the top of apron. Repeat on the other side.

Stitch across the top, back and forth a couple times to hold the twill tape on both sides.

You can also baste across the top of the apron if you want at this point.

Sew your 36″x 6″pieces with right sides together, so you have a finished 72″ x 6″ piece. Press the seam open. This will become your apron strings.

Fold apron string piece in half long ways and press with wrong sides together.

Find the middle of the apron string, take your interfacing piece and match the middles up and press interfacing to the wrong side of one of the halves of the apron string.

Fold and press both sides of apron strings up 1/2 inch.

Fold and press both ends in 1/2 inch.

Fold in half and press together.

With your main piece find the center of the top and mark, I just used a pin, but you could also use a marking pen.

Find the middle of your apron strings and match with the top of your apron. Making sure that the side with the interfacing is at the top.

Fold over apron strings, making sure to sandwich 1/2 to 1 inch of the top of the main piece in between. Pin across the front of apron and down to the ends of the strings.

Starting at one end of your apron string sew down one side and across the bottom of apron strings. Go slowly across main part to make sure that you are catching the backside of the apron strings.

Top stitch across the top of the apron strings.

With your remaining 2 yards of twill tape/ ribbon, again use a safety pin to insert it into the casing around the bottom of the apron.

Enjoy your new apron this summer!

-Mandy

12Feb2015

Valentines Day Love Pillow Tutorial

Posted in Tutorials by sewontheedge

Valentines Day is only a couple days away so I thought I should get with the program and finally get my Valentines stuff out. The boys are getting excited for their school parties this week. Oh what a joy it was to have each of them write 25-30 Valentines Day cards for their friends, I find this a little stressful when a 4 year old that has to write his name 25 times.

Heres a tutorial on the envelope pillow (no zippers needed) I made, I love how it turned out.

Supplies:

16″x16″ Pillow Form
1/2 Yard Fabric ( I used Enchant Bird in Pink- Riley Blake which can be purchased www.etsy.com/shop/SewOnTheEdge)
1 3/4 Yard Ric Rac
Coordinating Thread
Pins
Marking Pen
Scissors/Rotary Cutter

Cut your fabric

1 – 17″x17″

2 – 11.5″x17″

Take your 11.5″x17″ pieces and fold in 1/2 ” on the each of the 17″sides and press. Makes sure that if your pattern is directional that you do opposite sides so they line up like above. Then fold over again 1/2″ and press to hide your edges.

Top stitch using a 3/8 seam allowance on both sides.

Using your disappearing ink marking pen,write the word Love across the pillow. Make sure that your start and finish is 2″ away from your edges.

Start your ric rac by folding over the edge at the start of your word. Then follow your ink line with the ric rac pining as you go. When you get to the end, fold over the edge.

Slowly sew your ric rac in the middle, making sure to back stitch at the start and finish.

Lay your 17″x17″ square with the word Love facing up. Take one of your back pieces and line it up with the side of pillow as show in above photo. Take your other back piece and lay it over the first back piece so that your finished seams overlap. Pin all the way around pillow.

Sew around the pillow using a 3/8″ seam. I like to curve my corners but you don’t have to.

Clip the corners.

Turn right side out and press. Then put it over your pillow form and enjoy.

Think of all the pillows you could make, yours kids name, a wedding gift with the last name of the bride and groom, or the word Lucky for St. Patricks Day!

Hope you have a great Valentines Day.

-Mandy

28Mar2014

Less Mess & Waste – How To Make Quick Un-Paper Towels

Posted in Tutorials, Uncategorized by sewontheedge

There are projects all over Pintrest on how to make cute reusable paper towels with flannel and terry cloth. Which I think are really cute, but they just take to much time to make in my opinion, from sewing them together to putting on snaps or velcro . I don’t want to waste a lot of time on something that is going to be stained the first time I use it, or maybe your kids don’t spill stuff like mine do? Grape juice anyone. So here is a quick tutorial on how to make un-paper towels with birdseye cotton using both a regular sewing machine and a serger. We have been using these towels for about a year now and we love them. The best thing is that they are white so you can bleach them when they get to gross looking.

Materials Needed:

-Birdseye Cotton – can be found at Joann’s or online with cloth diaper supplies

-Scissors/Rotary Cutter

-Sewing Machine/Serger

– Fray Check

Step 1: Wash your fabric. Birdseye will shrink so it is important to pre-wash and dry your fabric before you start. For 6 towels you need to plan on 1 1/4 yards of fabric if you are serging and 1 1/3 yards if you are using a regular sewing machine.

Step 2: Cut your fabric, you can use whatever measurements you want, but for these I used a 12″x 18″ for serging if I was hemming them I would cut it 14″x18″ . If you are using a serger you can skip down to Step 5.

Step 3: If you are using a sewing machine you will want to fold and press your edges down 1/2 inch and then turn them over another 1/2 inch and press to make sure the raw edges are folded under. Pin if you need.

Step 4: Sew around the edges. Don’t forget to back stitch at the beginning and end. I used a 3/8 seam.

Step 5: If you are serging, you can cut curves on the corners to make it easier to serge. Lock your stitch in place. I like to use fray check at this point to lock my stitches.

Step 6: You are finished. Now take them into your kitchen and start using them.

I know some people keep water proof bags in their kitchens to throw their dirty towels in, my laundry room is right off my kitchen so they just get thrown into what ever load of laundry I am currently doing.

-Mandy

9Mar2014

Hippity Hop Easter’s On It’s Way – Fabric Easter Basket Tutorial

Posted in Tutorials by sewontheedge

We have our fingers crossed winter is on its way out and spring is on its way. The kids have been asking me to get out our Easter decorations, so today seemed like a good day to do it and it just happened to be snowing again. We were thinking if we decorated for spring, it has to come soon! The boys needed new Easter baskets and I wanted them big enough that the Easter Bunny could leave lots of books and puzzles along with a little bit of candy. I thought I would share with you a tutorial on how to make these simple baskets

Supplies you will need for 1 basket

2 coordinating pieces of fabric 1/2 yard each or 3 fat quarters

1/2 yard stiff interfacing- I used Pellon 71 F

Coordinating thread

Scissors/Rotary Cutter

Marking Pen/Ruler

Iron

Use a 3/8th Seam

Step 1: Cut your Fabric and Interfacing

Cut each of your fabrics 17 x 20 inches

Cut your interfacing 17 x 19 inches and 1.5 x 16 inches

Cut the fabric that you want as your handle 4 x 16 inches

Step 2: Fold your outside fabric in half and pin the sides, then sew using a 3/8 inch seam.

Step 3: At the bottom take your corner and flatten out so it looks like above photo and then measure down 3.5 inches. Use your marking pen to draw a line across the bottom and pin. Repeat on the other side.

Step 4: Sew on the line that you made. Repeat on the other side.

Step 5: Cut both corners off about a 1/2 inch from the stitch you just created. Now you can turn it right side out it should resemble a box.

Step 6: Iron your interfacing to your lining piece of fabric leaving 1/2 inch from each of the tops. After you have the interfacing applied repeat Steps 2-5 for the lining.

Step 7: Take your handle piece and fold it in have with right sides together. Then apply your piece of interfacing to one side.

Step 8: Turn your handle.

Step 9: Top stitch your handle down both sides.

Step 10. Pin your handle to your basket. I pinned it on both the end seams, but you could also pin it from side to side.

Step 11: With right sides together pin around the top. Make sure that you mark 3 or 4 inches where you will not sew, so you can turn your basket right side out.

Step 12. Sew around the top. Remember to leave 3 to 4 inches open.

Step 13: Turn your basket right side out. Pin your opening closed. I usually iron the top to make the next step easier. You are almost done!

Step 14: Top stitch around your basket, making sure that you are closing the opening.

Step 15: The final step I do is take a iron and iron my corners to make them crisp.

Enjoy your basket! I am thinking of all the ways I could use this basket around the house, maybe put two small handles on each side. It would be great for holding all my kids toys.

-Mandy

10Feb2014

Power Rangers Hoodie Towel Tutorial

Posted in Tutorials by sewontheedge

What kid does not love to get out of the bath and get wrapped up in a hoodie towel. The problem is that at our house all the hoodie towels are made for toddlers. My boys are not ready to give them up, nothing is better than after drying off, pretending that they are their favorite action hero. Below is a tutorial on how to make a hoodie towel that will fit those big kids too. My boys are obsessed with Power Rangers right now so when I asked what kind of towel they would like of course it was the red Power Ranger.

Here’s what you will need to start

– 1 Bath towel

– 1 Hand towel

– Steam a Seam

– 9″x9″ White fabric

– 9″x9″ Black fabric

-White, Black and thread to match towel

-Sewing Machine, Scissors, pins

– One of the Power Ranger Emblems – I have a link to the Blue, Green, Red, Pink and Yellow Ranger Emblems ( Not perfect, I can sew not draw..)Power ranger emblem

Step 1: Trace your pattern twice on Steam A Seam

Step 2: Iron the Steam A Seam on the wrong side of both the white and black fabric

Step 3: Cut out the white and black fabric. I cut the black fabric about 1/8 to 1/4 inch smaller than the white. Usually I just eye it.

Step 4: Peel off Steam A Seam from the black fabric and align it on top of the white.

Step 1

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5 : Take your hand towel and on either of the long sides fold down 3 or 4 inches. I used 3 inches for this hoodie towel. Pin across.

Step 6: Stitch across what you just pinned.

Step 7: Take Power Ranger emblem and peal off the back paper of the white fabric. Center the emblem on the hand towel and once you have it where you want it iron it down. Once you iron it it is permanent.

Step 8: Set your machine on zig – zag or satin stitch which ever is your preference. I used a zig-zag stitch on this towel. Change your thread to white and stitch around the white, then stitch around the black with black thread.

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

Step 9: With right sides together sew the back of the towel to make your hood. Make sure you change your thread color to match your towel again. I forgot to change my threads but I am going to say I did that on purpose to show you where to sew. That’s my story.

Step 10: Grab your large bath towel and find the middle on one of the long sides. I also like to make sure that I have the side with the tag folded in . On the long side where you found the middle you are going to line your hoods middle up, with right sides together. Pin down and you can either straight stitch or zig-zag. Also I sew to the left of the bulky towel edge, just makes it easier on you and your machine. I used zig-zag to give it a little more strength because I knew the wear and tear my boys will be putting them through.

Step 11: Grab your kids and throw them in the tub so they can use their new towel.

Step 9

Step 10

Step 10

Happy Kid

What evil can happen in your house with a Power Ranger

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Category Archives: Tutorials

Gathering Apron Tutorial

Valentines Day Love Pillow Tutorial

Supplies:

-Mandy

Less Mess & Waste – How To Make Quick Un-Paper Towels

Materials Needed:

-Birdseye Cotton – can be found at Joann’s or online with cloth diaper supplies

-Scissors/Rotary Cutter

-Sewing Machine/Serger

– Fray Check

Step 1: Wash your fabric. Birdseye will shrink so it is important to pre-wash and dry your fabric before you start. For 6 towels you need to plan on 1 1/4 yards of fabric if you are serging and 1 1/3 yards if you are using a regular sewing machine.

Step 2: Cut your fabric, you can use whatever measurements you want, but for these I used a 12″x 18″ for serging if I was hemming them I would cut it 14″x18″ . If you are using a serger you can skip down to Step 5.

Step 3: If you are using a sewing machine you will want to fold and press your edges down 1/2 inch and then turn them over another 1/2 inch and press to make sure the raw edges are folded under. Pin if you need.

Step 4: Sew around the edges. Don’t forget to back stitch at the beginning and end. I used a 3/8 seam.

Step 5: If you are serging, you can cut curves on the corners to make it easier to serge. Lock your stitch in place. I like to use fray check at this point to lock my stitches.

Step 6: You are finished. Now take them into your kitchen and start using them.

-Mandy

Hippity Hop Easter’s On It’s Way – Fabric Easter Basket Tutorial

-Mandy

Power Rangers Hoodie Towel Tutorial